I Promise
by Devon Goes to Heaven
Summary: It had been a month since the prison fell, and Beth wasn't sure how to deal with what life was throwing at her. She wasn't even sure how to deal with what had happened between her and Daryl the previous night. [Bethyl]


Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead or any of its characters.

_Meh...got caught up in just writing, and this was the result of it. The original first chapter is on A03, but alas, I can't post it here since they don't allow smut. Not exactly sure where I'm going with this, but figured I'd see where it ends up._

* * *

Don't Go

_"You should be ashamed of yourself! How could you do this your father and I...and Maggie? Do you even know how old he is!"_

_"Mom...Dad," she said between tears. "I don't know what to say."_

_She stared down at her lap and watched as her fresh tears speckled her dress. She finally found the courage to look up at her family. Maggie just simply vanished from her. It was as if she was no longer a part of her life at all. Her eyes glanced over to her mom. Her mother's skin was decomposing, her skin was dirty, and her eyes had this faded, glossed over stare. Then, she turned to her father. His head fell from his head and blood sprayed everywhere._

_She screamed._

* * *

Beth woke up screaming. Her eyes shot open, her body came to life, and her arms slashed around at nothing in particular. She flew up as her hands clutched the back of her head. She rested her forehead on her knees, and just sat still for what felt like forever.

It was just a nightmare, she thought to herself. It was just another horrible nightmare.

Her eyes burned as tears began to form in the back of her eyes, and all she could think about was that twisted dream. She placed her fingertips on her temples and let out a deep breath. She could feel it. She was about to break.

"I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay."

She spotted her jeans on the bedroom floor, and then, she remembered last night. She glanced over to her side, and her heart sank when she saw he wasn't there.

Beth let out a deep, staggered breath. She climbed out of bed and pulled her jeans on. She scanned the room for her top, and remembered it was somewhere in the living room. She was so embarrassed she wanted to kick herself in the face.

She snatched the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around herself. She swiftly darted down the hallway to the living room and snatched her top and bra from the living room floor. She glanced around, and once she was sure she was alone, she quickly dressed herself.

Once she pulled on her boots, she opened the front door to the house. She breathed a sigh of relief. Daryl was underneath the hood of a beat up white Toyota sedan. Her boots crunched against the ground. Something surged through her when he glanced back at her and stared her directly in the eyes.

And, just like that, he went back to work on the car. It was last night had never happened, and Beth was unsure how that made her feel.

"Let's see if this works," he said. "Go start it for me, will ya?"

Beth obeyed and walked over to the driver's side of the car. She swung the door open and flopped down in the driver's seat. She saw the keys in the ignition softly swaying from side to side. She attempted to start the car, but it just let out this soft buzzing sound.

"It's a standard," he said. "Ya gotta to hold down the clutch."

Her stomach sank as she felt completely lost. She had never driven stick in her life. Her foot found an extra pedal on the other side of the break. She pressed down on the peddle and held it down. Then, she turned the key. The car roared to life, and a smile crossed her face.

Daryl came around to the side and leaned on the door. "You don't know shit about drivin' stick, do ya?"

She shook her head.

He let out a sigh. "Guess when we get time I'll teach ya. Get your stuff. We're gonna take off as soon as we can."

Beth turned the car off and climbed out of the car. She looked up at Daryl for a moment. She wanted to say something, anything about the previous night. She wanted some kind of answer to what had happened, but she stopped herself. She was starting to believe it was best to just leave well enough alone.

* * *

She got into the passenger seat of the car. Beth glanced at Daryl quickly. Then, she quickly looked away when he caught her looking at him. She heard him let out a deep breath, and then, he turned on the ignition.

The ride was uncomfortably silent. It seemed to be a pattern with him. Sometimes they would talk and other times he would just drift off into his own thoughts. It didn't bother her as much as it used to, but after last night's circumstances, she couldn't deny that his silence seemed to claw at her.

She glanced out the passenger side window. Beth kept hoping she would see Maggie or even Glenn. There was still a fading spark that still believed, but she had to admit, she was starting to believe she'd never see her sister again. It broke her heart, but each day, she just wasn't sure if it was realistic to believe anymore.

She liked to imagine that Maggie was with Glenn. They would take care of each other. Maggie was already pretty well versed in taking care of herself. Even if they were separated, Beth was confident that Maggie could survive on her own for awhile.

Maggie was the stronger one. That very thought felt like a slap to her face, but she was starting to accept the reality of everything. She wanted to believe she could make it on her own, but she knew that she'd be some walker's dinner by now if not for Daryl. It discouraged her that she was so dependent on others. Her father would preach how he wouldn't always be around to take care of her. Now that day had come, and Beth was at a loss of what to do with herself.

"Daryl?"

"Hmm?"

"Where are we even going?"

"I don't know," he responded. "Somewhere."

She felt foolish, but she needed something from him other than small talk. His silence made her feel isolated, and she just could not deal with her thoughts any longer. She swallowed nervously. She needed to do something, anything to get a reaction from him.

She reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Daryl…"

"Beth…"

The tone in his voice was uneasy, and she retracted her hand instantly. "I...I'm sorry."

Silence filled the car, and it weighed on her like a thousand bricks. She didn't know whether to say something or just stay quiet till he addressed her. She was so confused. She wished she had Maggie or someone to talk to about all the emotions that stirred within her...although she imagined that Maggie would probably smack him if she fessed up to everything she did last night.

"Beth, I wasn't thinkin' straight last night, and I don't think you were usin' your head either. I think all the shit that's happened is gettin' to us."

Beth stared down at her hands. Her head felt light, and she dreaded the many awful ways this conversation could go. She feared that she had only complicated things last night, and she realized that the last thing they needed was petty drama while trying to survive.

He grinned in spite of it and gave her one quick glance. "Not gonna lie though. It was the best night I've had since the prison went to shit, and if ya wanna try again, just ask."

She wasn't sure exactly how she felt, but she just let out an airy laugh. She had never felt more relaxed in a long time. She crossed her arms and gave him a teasing glance. "Well, I'll let you know."

He laughed. "Shit…"

She let out another soft giggle. The weight she carried on her shoulders seemed to just drop off instantly. She could finally allow herself to not regret the decision she made last night. It was the first time she just allowed herself to be happy in an entire month, and it just felt good to let her worries melt away even if only for a moment.

She thought of Daryl, and for some reason, Carol crossed her mind. It was probably best not to ask, but she couldn't help but be curious. "I always thought you and Carol were, you know…"

"Nah," he said. "It would have made it weird."

His answer made her feel at ease. It wasn't hard for anyone at the prison to notice that Carol was undeniably smitten for Daryl. After all, Carol made her feelings so painstakingly obvious. However, Beth had always been unclear of his side on that matter. At least she was clear she wasn't interfering in some way.

Then, she remembered that Carol was nowhere in sight during the governor's attack. Her curiosity sparked once more, and she couldn't help but asking, "What ever happened to her?"

"It's complicated…" he paused. "Not sure if I wanna get into that right now."

A sick feeling crossed her. The first thought that came to her mind was that Carol was bit just before the prison fell. Then, all the chaos happened, and everyone was so caught up in surviving that no one mentioned why she seemed to have just vanished. Beth felt her stomach twist at the thought. She wasn't sure she could handle another death at this point.

An old diner came into view. Daryl parked the car in the abandoned driveway. The place looked as if it were beat to death, and all Beth wanted to do was to keep driving. However, she knew that they needed food, and she forced herself to follow Daryl inside.

When they stepped inside, she spotted a note on the floor. It read "please do what I can't." Beth pulled her knife from its holster. Daryl grabbed his crossbow off of his back, and seemingly without a thought, just walked through the mess of furniture.

"It's already dead. Someone put a bolt through it."

Beth relaxed and sheathed her knife. She couldn't help but hope Maggie was the one to put a bullet through the walker's head. She had to ask, "Do you think someone else was here recently."

"Nah, looks like someone killed that thing awhile ago."

Her heart sank as that small hope of finding Maggie disappeared once again.

She quickly pulled herself back together and began to search the restaurant for anything edible. Her eyes scanned various shelves. Daryl returned from the kitchen without anything. She supposed whomever was here before them took anything of value.

"There ain't nothin' here. Let's go."

Beth followed him out to the car. She had gotten use to going without food at this point. She was just glad that they didn't have to fight off any walkers in the diner. A row of houses came into view, and Daryl pulled the car into a driveway of a random house.

"We should find shelter for the night," Daryl said. "We'll figure this all out tomorrow."

Daryl once again had his crossbow in hand as he approached the door. He turned the door handle swung the door open. A walker groaned as it turned its eyes towards them, but before it could even pull itself off the floor, Daryl shot an arrow through its skull.

Beth and Daryl searched the lower level of the house for more walkers. Then, Beth followed Daryl upstairs. They searched each of the rooms until it was clear that the entire house was completely clear. Beth let out a sigh of relief as she entered the master bedroom to find the last room walker-free.

"I'm going to tie the doors down," he said. "Stay up here."

Beth just nodded. She paced over to the bed. The soft pink comforter was a vast improvement to the old blanket in the house they found in the woods. She flopped down on the mattress and discovered it was one of those nice foam ones she always wanted. A smiled emerged. At least she knew she'd get a good night of rest later that night. Perhaps maybe with...

The door creaked open, and she snapped to attention. She reached for her knife, fearing that it may be a walker they overlooked. Then, she relaxed when she realized it was just Daryl.

"Didn't mean to scare ya."

"It's okay."

"You gonna sleep in here tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "You...um...you can too. I mean…uh...if you want to."

He cracked half a smile. "There's some food in the pantry if you're hungry."

Beth pulled herself off the bed and walked over to him. She had intended to walk right past him and go straight to the kitchen, but no, she walked right over to him and leaned into his chest instead. He didn't react at first, but then, she felt his hand lightly touch the small of her back.

She couldn't remember feeling this way for Zach. She didn't even remember feeling like this for Jimmy. She was getting too attached. She knew better. Anyone that got close to her always seemed to turn up dead.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get some food."

* * *

She swallowed a spoonful of cold Spaghetti Os. Three years ago, she would have been completely disgusted, but she was used to eating horrible food now. She tried to remember what a good meal actually tasted like, but her mind drew a blank. She barely even thought of her old iPhone anymore.

There was a time she believed she'd have it all back, but after the prison fell, she knew this life was here to stay. There wasn't going to be a cure, and she would be running her entire life. She was glad she burned that old diary. She couldn't bare to read through it now. God, she was so stupid to even believe for a moment that life would get easier.

She swallowed the last spoonful of her food. She was still hungry, but she resisted grabbing another can of food. She missed when food was so readily available, and you could just eat without thinking. She missed when Thanksgiving and Christmas where she could just pig out without thinking.

She missed all the cookie heists her and Maggie used to do in their childhood most of all. Beth thought of the time father caught Maggie, and she managed to slip away unnoticed. Beth wanted to come forward, but Maggie told her not to.

_"There's no reason both of us should be in trouble."_

She split half of her cookies with Maggie that night, and within two weeks they were back to their pantry raids in the dead of the night. God, she missed her sister so much.

She spotted a deck of cards on the table. She needed a distraction.

"Hey, wanna play some cards?"

* * *

She vaguely remembered playing speed in her last year of middle school. Daryl had to refresh her memory on some of the rules, but for the most part, she knew what she was doing. She threw down her last card.

"I'm out!" she shouted as she fell back into the coach. It was her first win out of the three games they had played, and that win made her feel slightly accomplished.

Daryl lit a cigarette. "Don't matter. I've still got you beat."

She grabbed from the cards from the table and formed them into a stack. She shuffled them over and over again. Then set them on the table. She thought about dealing another round, but let them sit on the coffee table instead. She missed the internet and television. She missed being at the prison where she had a job to occupy her time. When she wasn't running for her life, she was bored out of her mind.

Daryl rose from where she was sitting on the floor and joined her on the coach. She rested her head onto his shoulder without thinking.

"I'm tired," Beth yawned. "Think I'm gonna go to bed."

She pulled herself off the couch and climbed up the stairs towards the master bedroom. Beth flopped down on her bed on that amazing Tempurpedic mattress. She pulled the comforter over herself. She mentally noted how amazing the foam mattress was in comparison to the prison mattresses or the ground or the trunk of that beat up car. She thanked god for the small gift of comfort before curling up into a small ball.

She heard a soft knock, and then, the door creak open.

"Thought I'd bring your knife up here in case somethin' happens."

He walked over and set it on the nightstand closest to her. He turned to walk away, but she clasped his hand with both of her hands. He turned around and looked her in the eye. She stared up at him, hoping to everything she wouldn't sleep alone tonight.

"Don't go," she said in a soft, pleading whisper.

To Be Continued

_Thanks for reading everyone!_


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